Dispenser



Oct. 28, 1958 L. L. LERNER ET AL DISPENSER Filed Dec. 18, 1956 Zfl WWWWHWWBWWWHBHBHWW United States PatentO DISPENSER Application December 18, 1956, Serial N 0. 629,180

Claims. "(Cl.'132-115) This invention relates to an applicator .for dispensing treating material onto the hair during use and-per-tains more specifically to an applicator arranged for mounting on a container of fiowable treating material.

One object of the invention is to provide a dispenser of simplified and improved construction adapted to dispense flowable hair-treating material such aspermanent waving lotion onto the hair.

Another object is to provide a dispenser adapted .to distribute treating material substantially uniformly throughout a mass of hair.

Still another object is to provide a material-dispensing applicator which can readily be controlled during use .to vary the quantity of material dispensed as well as its distribution throughout the hair tresses.

Other and further objects will be apparent from .the drawing and from the description which follows.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation showing one embodiment of the dispensing applicator of the present invention mounted on a container;

Fig. 2 is a view in end elevation of the applicator shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view in section taken along :line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a view in section taken along line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a view in sectiompartly broken .away, corresponding to the view shown in' Fig. 3 and depicting another embodiment .of the invention with the valve member in open position;

Fig. 6 is a view in section along line 66 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a view in longitudinal section, partly broken away, showing a second embodiment of the invention; and

Fig. 8 is a view in cross section along the line 8-8 of Fig. 7.

As shown in the drawings, the applicator of the present invention comprises a hollow elongated base member 10 provided with a screw-threaded cap member 12 adjacent one end which serves as an inlet and which is adapted for mounting the applicator upon a suitable container 22 such as a glass bottle or the like which serves as a reservoir or means for supplying the treating material such as permanent waving lotion to the interior of the applicator through screw-threaded inlet 12.

Applicator 10 comprises a hollow elongated base member or chamber of generally cylindrical shape having an opening extending along a side thereof as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The applicator in a preferred embodiment is molded of plastic material and is made in two halves 16, 18 joined together along a longitudinally extending parting line 20 by any suitable means as by cementing or welding. The upper half 16 as seen in Fig. 1 includes a screw-cap inlet 12 at one end which is adapted to be mounted on the threaded neck of a conventional container 22 such as a glass bottle. Any other conventional mounting may be used in place of a screw thread if de sired. The lower half 18 of the applicator includes a pair of walls .23, 24 which meettat an :acute 'angle and which are provided with a plurality of spaced-apart, generally parallel slots 26, 26 extendingacross the line of uncture ofthe walls -to .form 'a row of spaced-apart hollow zcomb .teeth 28,128.

As a result of this construction eachhollow :combtooth 28 isv provided with an aperture 30along-each of its lateral or side walls opposite adjacent teeth.

Disposed with the hollow interior of theapplicator is 'asealing member 32 extending the fulllength ofztherow ofteeth 28, 28. Sealing member 32 .is provided "with-m pair of sealing faces34, 34 :on opposite sides whichzare arranged to seatin the angle between .the "walls 23., 24:80 as to seal apertures 26, 261from then-interior of the hollow base member. Control bar 361isintegrally connectedwith sealing member 32 and .forms' withit a .bar valve member of generally triangular cross-sectional configuration which extends into the interior of .hollowwteeth 28 and through the apertures at each =side-of opposing teeth soas to bridge the :spaces between adjacent teeth, as .shown in Fig. 3. Sealing member .32 and :control bar 36 are preferably molded from plastic material, and .in theembodiments shown :in Figs. 1 to -6 :inclusive there is also:molded integral with sealingmember 32 .a pair .of resilientsprings .38, 38 .as shown in Fig. 3 or 39, 39 as shown in Pig. :5 which extend-from sealing member 32 into the interiortof the hollow base member chamber and bear against ;the inner wall of the-upper half 16. The springs yieldingly urge sealing. member32 into sealing position, as shownain Figs. 3 and 4, butpermit the sealing member to movcto the open position when. pressure is applied. .to control but 36 through .thespaces26 between adjacent teeth 28,-sealing member 32 being shown in open position in Figs. .5 and 6 ofthe drawing.

In Figs. .7 .and .8 thereis shown a modified construction in which sealing member 32-is provided with a pair tof guide rods 40, 40 whichextend from the back of thesealing member into the interior of the applicator and are slidinglyreceived in guides 42,42 molded integrally with upper half 44 which .is secured .to lower half 18 along parting line 20 by cementing, welding many other suitable means. Apairof coil springs 46, 46 are disposed around guide rods 40 and guides 42 so as .to 'yieldingly'llrge sealing'mern'ber 32 .into sealing position, asbest shown in 'Fig. '8.

In assembling the device, the sealing member and springs may be placed in position within the interior of one of the molded halves of the applicator; then the remaining half of the applicator is fitted in place and secured.

In use, the applicator is mounted on a container full of treating material by means of screw-threaded inlet fitting 12. The springs 38, 39 or 46 maintain sealing member 32 in position to seal the hollow interior of the applicator from the apertures 26 and from the interior of hollow teeth 28, thus effectively preventing loss of any treating material even if the container be inverted. When the applicator is applied to the hair in the manner of a comb the pressure of the individual hair fibers against control bar 36 in the spaces 26 between adjacent teeth urges sealing member 32 to open position, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, permitting the flowable treating material within container 22 to pass outwardly through teeth 28 and apertures 26 onto the hair. The amount of treating material dispensed may readily be controlled by varying the pressure of the applicator against the hair tress. In addition, the pressure may readily be varied from one end of the applicator to the other, thus regulating the relative quantity of material dispensed along the length of the applicator. However, because sealing member 32 and control bar 36 are unitary elements extending the full length of the row of teeth 28, pressure at one point that point only; instead, sealing-member 32 is opened along a considerable extent' -of the length of the row of i'eeth 28,1thus'providing for more uniform distribution of: treating material on the. hair and avoiding excessive zconcentrations in localized zones. Y 1 Although specific embodiments of the invention have been described herein, it is not intended to-limit-the invention solely thereto, but to include all of the obvious variations and modifications within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

-- We claim: Y

-An applicator adapted to dispense treating material ontothe hair during use comprising a hollow chamber havinga pair of Walls. meeting at an acute angle with a pluralityof spaced-apart generally parallel slots extending across the line of juncture of said walls to form relatively uniform parallel spaced openings along said lineof junc 'ture,'a' valve' member within said chamber normally seated in the angle between said walls and sealing said slots, means for yieldingly urging said valve member to seated position whereby pressure of the hair against the valve-member through said slots during use tends to open said valve member, and an inlet for introducing treating material into said chamber.

- 2. An applicator for dispensing treating material onto the hair during use comprising a base member having a hollow interior, a plurality of spaced-apart comb teeth isecured to said base member, each said tooth having a hollow interior communicating with the interior of said 'base member, apertures extending along opposing sides -of each pair of teeth,'means disposed within said teeth and base member extending through said apertures across the space between opposing sides of said teeth for sealingsaid apertures, means for yieldingly urging said sealing.means into sealing position, and an inlet for introducing a supply of treating material-into the interior of jsaid base member, said sealing means being arranged so that pressure of the hair thereagainst in the spaces be- *tweensaid teeth tends to open said apertures.

3. A material-dispensing applicator for use on the hair comprising an elongated hollow base member having an iopening extending along a side thereof, a row of spacedapart hollow comb teeth secured along the side of said base member and communicating with the interior there- "of through said opening, each tooth having apertures along' itslateral walls opposite adjacent teeth, a bar valve member disposed within said applicator extending along the row of teeth movable to and from a sealing position in which said bar extends-through said apertures across the spaces between adjacent teeth to seal said apertures from the interior of said base member and an open position in which said bar is withdrawn toward the interior of said base member to permit flow of material through I said apertures, spring means within said base member for yieldingly urging said bar valve member toward sealing position, and an inlet for introducing material to be dispensed into the interior'of said base member.

4. An applicator for dispensing treating material onto the hair during use comprising a base member having a hollow interior, a plurality of spaced-apart comb teeth secured to said base member, each said tooth having a hollow interior communicating with the interior of said base member, apertures extending along opposing sides of each pair of teeth, means disposed within said base member extending along the junction between said base member and said teeth for sealing the interiors of said teeth from the interior of said base member, means for yieldingly urging said sealing means toward sealing posi tion, control means disposed within said teeth connected to said sealing means and extending through at least one of said apertures into the space between opposing sides of said teeth, and an inlet for introducing treating material into the interior of said base member, said control means being adapted to be engaged by the hair extending through said space during use of the applicator to urge said sealing means to open position.

5. An applicator fordispensing treating material onto the hair during use comprising a base member having a hollow-interior, a plurality of spaced apart comb teeth secured to said 'base'member, each said tooth having in each side wall opposite adjacent teeth an aperture com- 'municating with the interior of said base member, a 'singlesealing member for sealing all of said apertures from the interior of said base member, a control bar connected to said sealing member and extending through at least one, said aperture into the space between adjacent No references cited. 

